Caged
by Arietti
Summary: Sub-Story of "The Fire." Set before the game. Hojo has convinced President ShinRa to let him lead an ambush of Aeris's house, but a certain Turk isn't about to sit back and let that happen. TsengxAeris. Rated M for language and sexual content. R&R
1. Chapter 1: Escaping

**A/N: **Hhhhhh-OK, so.  
>I've been writing on "The Fire" for a while, and as I'm working out the main plot I'm beginning to realize that a LOT of time has passed since AC took place. There are some relationships that are going to come about that- while they look nice in my head- won't make sense unless I explain them separately. I want to do this for two reasons- the first being so their sub-story doesn't take over the main plot that I want to focus around Vincent and Yuffie, and the second being because I would REALLY like to write some smut RIGHT now. So.<p>

I'm going to start this little mini-series of sub-fics explaining the relationships between the characters in my CURRENT FFVII "The Fire" universe. They'll all be individual stories, but they'll have this little spill at the beginning of them, and they'll all eventually tie into my main fic. Is that cool? If you don't understand you can always e-mail me. Thanks!

This fic is based around Tseng and Aeris PRE-FFVII game. It's right after Crisis Core, a few months after Zack is killed outside of Midgar. I apologize if there are any inconsistencies with the literal storyline of the game- please keep in mind that this is a work in progress.  
><strong><br>Please R&R!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII, and am not making any money from this fic.**

**Caged**

**Chapter One: Escaping**

_You're always dying inside, that much closer to home,_  
><em>On a crowded street corner, surrounded by people all alone.<em>  
><em>Pain in the heart, rain in the dark, the wound is glum and bitter.<em>  
><em>She walks around the corner- it's like she brought the sun with her.<em>

_Then everything just brightened up- I couldn't make this up-_  
><em>My fingers in my eyes as she walked by, like I was wakin' up.<em>  
><em>And so many words; I couldn't string a sentence together to bother her.<em>  
><em>I instantly forgot all my plans and started to follow her.<em>

_It's like the sky opened and God handed you directly to me._  
><em>I know it sounds crazy, but so is life- I'm sinking.<em>  
><em>And feeling like your heart is beating- solely for me...<em>

_-I Never Knew You_  
><em>~Cage<br>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _

It's been three months since the last time we spoke.

_"It's too dangerous. She'll know you're tracking her." _Heidegger had said. _"We can't risk scaring her off."_

Fat, incompetent fool. Aeris isn't some stupid dog- not like those whores you're always bringing into the office for 'late-night questioning.' She's been on to the Turks since _Valentine _was still running detail. It's been going on some thirteen years now- you _really _think she isn't aware?

She knows about _me, _of that I'm certain- but not from our first encounter; the time when she was a child and I came to her house to try and talk her Stepmother into letting us work with her.

No, the _real _first time we met was was the moment she caught me watching her from the back of that run-down church when she was thirteen.

She walked right up to me- that look in her eyes as though she'd seen me before but just couldn't place when or where. I knew _then _that my days in the shadows were over. She would always recognize my face.

So I started doing the weekend watch- when she would stay at home and tend to her flowers. I was invisible then, hanging about the wreckage just outside the fields where she gardened. Even from _that _distance I watched her grow up- watched her become a woman. Watched her fall in love for the first time when a certain dark-haired SOLDIER came into the picture.

That entire situation was a mess. He may have been First Class, but he wasn't man enough for her- with his spiky hair and his bad sense of humor. He meant well; but knowing he had something so precious...something that _I _had begun to desire for myself...it made him difficult to work with.

I tried to save him, when the time came. I really did. Regret plagues me to this day that I couldn't intervene on the massacre that took place outside Midgar that fateful morning. All the letters I'd intercepted from her to give to him, worthless...

I hadn't spoken to her in some time before that night- when I went to the church and found her crying in the floor. That was the moment I realized I couldn't leave her alone anymore. I walked right in, sat down beside her and held her.

And isn't it just odd- she held me back.

Maybe it was her state of mind, but I'd like to think she knew all along that I would be there for her when she needed someone.

I had tried to pick up my old rounding schedule after that, to see her more. Unfortunately _that's _when ShinRa started to catch on that Aeris was more than what she seemed. Hojo had been on to her since day one, and finally, after weeks of negotiations, he's talked the old President into letting him lead a team of SOLDIERS in to kidnap her, surpassing any use of the Turks at all.

I can't let it happen. I _won't_. I've seen what that monster does to the people he gets in his lab- rumors of the experiments he ran on Valentine are still muttered about in the bars at night. I have to warn her.

_That's_ why I'm here. The Professor ordered a group of SOLIDERS to ambush her home in the morning- to take her by force. It's only been some fifteen weeks since the massacre, and they've _just _lifted the surveillance off my apartment, having suspended me from my duties because of the events that transpired before the assassination plot. Maybe I'll get to her in time to tell her what's happening. To tell her she needs to run...

It's cold in Sector 5- then again, every night beneath the plate is like winter. I try to hide the steam by breath makes from the hazy slum lamps as I slowly stride down the dirt street. Sleepy lower-class SOLDIERS doze at their posts, ambitions to please the President nothing more than dreams as they continue to snooze even as I pass by not five feet from their trigger-happy forms.

Her house looks eery at night. Unlike the rest of the sector, the quaint cottage isn't covered in smog- the bright yellow lilies practically shimmer in the artificial light of the city nearby. It's different here. Everything is. It would be, of course- _she's _different. Everything she touches changes for the better. Everything surrounding her glows.

I can't steady my breathing now. Coming to her doorstep I pause. _Is_ this the best idea? The moment I heard ShinRa was planning to kidnap her I left to come here- to take her away. But now that I'm on her porch I can't help but feel foolish. Even _if_ I manage to talk her into leaving, where would we go? I'm a Turk, not an escape artist. They would find me- find _us._They'll kill me and take her, it won't matter how far we run...

And that would be the _best _scenario. How could I ever expect her to actually listen to me, anyway? What could I possibly say to her that would convince her she needs to leave? I have nothing to offer._ We_ have nothing. No back-story. No, "long-standing relationship" built on trust and friendship. All she knows of me is that I always seem show up when something's happened, and that I'm old enough to be her Father.

_That_ thought alone is enough to send a chill down my spine. I'm _old_. I shouldn't be feeling this way. Not with _her. _She's young, beautiful- she's the hope of our Planet. What use would she have with a tired fool like me?

The sound of a door latching inside the house catches my attention. Was it opening or closing? There are no sounds of footsteps, it must have closed. I hold my breath and lean against the oak frame beside me. This is ridiculous. I should have never come here.

I start to leave, but the sudden image of this house twelve hours from now flashes before my eyes. Aeris, being dragged out screaming by men who respect nothing but their orders. Elmyra crying, running after the child she raised only to be gunned down in her doorway. One of the SOLDIERS will probably get the idea that a_ prisoner _is fair game for their own needs...they'll offer to run security with her in the back of the holding truck...no one would be there to stop him...

Sucking in a sobering breath, I press my fingers to the bridge of my nose. I can't turn my head to this. She may refuse me, but god-damnit- I _have _to _try. _Returning to my place in front of the door, I pull the picks from my pocket and position them to jimmy the lock- surprising slightly when I realize it's already open. Tucking the kit away I turn the knob and let myself in.

It's silent. Uncomfortably silent. The floorboards are so old I'm afraid with every step that one is sure to crack at any moment and I'll wake the whole house. I may be an assassin, but even _Veld _couldn't have walked through this place without making a noise.

Luckily as I near the stairs the sound of Elmyra's snoring catches my ear. Good. She's hard asleep. That's one less thing I have to worry about. Climbing the steps, my heart starts to crawl into my throat- what if she's awake? What if she screams? The possibility that someone may have already come and taken her creeps above the rest of my more credible fears, taking the forefront as the scariest scenario that could play out in the next five minutes.

I reach the top of the staircase and look down the short hallway. Distantly, a vision of the last time I was here rolls out before me- 8-year-old Aeris runs past and into her room, locking the door behind her as she screams to Elmyra that she'll never trust the Turks. My heart breaks. She's never had a reason to trust me- why would she now?

And then I remember three months ago; sitting in the floor of her church as she finished sobbing. She had leaned away from me, eyes red as she brushed the bottoms of them gingerly.

_"A terrible thing, isn't it? Crying in the arms of a man I barely know."  
>"It isn't terrible," I assure her. "At least I'm not a complete stranger."<br>"But you are." She looked at me. "You are. And yet you know everything there is to possibly know about me, don't you?"  
>"I don't know why you're crying," I try to lie.<br>"Please don't play stupid, Tseng." She pressed her hands back to her face as she hung her head. "We both know why you came here..."_

It was the first time she'd ever said my name like she knew me. I'd dreamed of that moment- the day she would recognize me as someone who understood her- and yet it was substantially less satisfying than I had imagined it would be.

Elmyra's snoring brings me out of my recurring daydreams, and I move forward to the door closest to me. I know this is her room- there are flowers carved into the wooden frame around it, as if the plants are a symbol of her presence wherever she goes. Drawing a deep breath, I brace myself and touch the handle...

Thank god for my training.

Instantly I feel there's someone hovering on the other side, their hands pressed against the wood, waiting. Knowing I have only seconds to act I swiftly-_ silently- _open the door, startling the Ancient as she stumbles back to avoid getting knocked over. Grabbing her wrist with one hand, she instinctively wraps her free arm around my shoulder as I pull her close, twisting to push her against the wall and pressing my hand over her mouth, catching her surprised gasp.

We stare at each other for a while, her bright green eyes shifting from fear to curiosity as I continue to hold her in this awkward position. After another minute she wriggles her wrist free, gently placing it on my shoulder to tell me it's all right- she won't scream.

I slide my hand away, still leaning against her to keep her still- partly because my training forces me not to trust her, but mostly because I've started craving this proximity. She exhales softly, waiting to see if I'll move. When I don't, she wets her lips and furrows her brow.

"What are you doing here?" Her voice is barely a whisper, and I appreciate the discretion.  
>I clear my throat. "There's an ambush coming to take you. You have to leave."<br>She pauses, a confused look scrawling its way over her face. I realize how random what I'm saying is and try again. "Hojo convinced President ShinRa to-."  
>"Hojo!" She yelps, shoving against me and pushing me back. She turns and begins to pace, pressing one had to her lips and wrapping the other around herself as she suppresses the urge to panic. "What...how...?"<br>"He's been wanting you back for years now," I explain quietly. "Surely you knew that-."  
>"But why now?" She turns to me. "Why is he coming after me <em>now<em>? After all these years..-."  
>"He convinced President ShinRa to push for your capture." I interrupt, trying to hurry her process of information. "There will be a convoy coming to get you in the morning if we don't leave now-."<br>"But what about my mother?" She turns on me, and I am slightly taken aback for two reasons- one, because she keeps cutting me off, and two, because the question implies she's actually _considering _leaving.

After a moment of gathering my thoughts, I raise my hands to gain her attention. "If _you're_ not here, they will leave her alone. They might question her-."  
>"Oh," she stops, giving me a look. "I've <em>seen <em>the way you people do 'questioning'."  
>I hesitate. "You...people? Look-." Shaking my head, I get back on track. "-I swear to you, if you are not here, they won't waste their time with her. They'll ask her of your whereabouts, but once they realize she doesn't know anything, they'll leave."<br>"And that's it?"  
>"That's it. At the most they may post a security detail around the house for a few days. But if you don't come back-."<br>"Don't come back?" She echoes. "I can't just _disappear_. Where will I go?"

"With me." I try to sound soothing, but I can tell it barely helps. "We'll go to Mideel-."  
>"And let her think I've <em>vanished<em>? I have to at least _tell _her-."  
>"If you tell her, then she'll have to lie." I reason, knowing my argument is a good one. "Aeris, if Elmyra knows where you are, it will show on her face. And if ShinRa knows she's lying, he'll press her for the truth. Trust me, you <em>do not <em>want that for her."

Aeris frowns at me, and a knot forms in my throat. She's never looked at me this way before. It's... unpleasant.

"You promise we'll come back?"  
>Seeing the pain in her eyes, I can't say no. I nod.<br>"As soon as I'm positive SOLDIER has cleared out of the area."  
>She hesitates, then sighs. "...I'll get my things."<p>

I know I don't have to tell her to 'pack light,' because she pulls a tiny basket from beneath her bed, loading it with a few garments of clothing and being careful to place her hairbrush and a couple hi-potions in between the folds. After she's done scanning the room for anything miscellaneous she might also want to bring, she looks at me.

"OK."  
>"We have to be quick," I start. "It's nearly three in the morning and the patrol should be switching soon-."<br>"Why are you doing this?"

I pause, suddenly feeling as though I've been caught in something.

"...What?"  
>"Why are you doing this?" She asks again, unmoving. "You've been following me just as long as they have, haven't you? Shouldn't you <em>want <em>them to capture me? It would make your job a lot easier, wouldn't it?"

It isn't what she says so much as the way she says it. My emotions slide from struggling to explain myself to sadness. This is _really _how the Turks have portrayed themselves over the years, isn't it? Just a group of specialized 'dirty-work-dealers' that do whatever the Company tells them to.

And I've been grouped in with the lot of them.

"There is nothing 'easy' about what I do." I reply softly, more than just a hint of disappointment in my tone. "But I swear on my life, I will not bring you harm."

She narrows her eyes, but not in an insulted way. It's almost as if she's studying me.

"...How can I trust you?" She asks, slowly taking a step toward me and tilting her head. "How do I know you won't just...take me?"

I look at her, a sense of defeat washing over me as I can see in her eyes- she already knows.

"Do I really have to tell you?"

It seems saying _that _is nearly as forward as voicing it outright. A blush swarms furiously into her cheeks and she lowers her gaze, taking a moment to sort this in her mind before she looks back to my eyes- which haven't left her.

"No." Her voice is soft again, and she plucks the courage to take a few more steps my way. "...I can see it. I can _feel _it..." Raising her hand, she carefully slides it under my jacket and pressed it over my heart. "Right here."

My skin catches fire. I hold my expression, but inside I'm screaming. What's happening? Why is she _touching_ me? Why is she even _looking _at me this way..?

Shaking out of it, I force myself to step back. As much as I want to revel in this moment, we're running out of time.

"We have to go."

Aeris looks disappointed-but only for a moment. Pursing her lips, she nods and follows me out into the hallway. As we reach the stairway she stops.

"Can I at least see her before we go?"

I turn to her. There she goes with that look again. Good god, if she keeps this up we'll never make it out in time.

"Of course," I say after a second. Damn my weak will.

I follow her quietly as she walks down to her mother's room and opens the door. Elmyra sits comfortably in her rocking chair in the corner, a pile of half-crocheted yarn in her lap as she lay slumped to the side, mouth wide open in her authentic display of slumber. Aeris tiptoes to her side, placing a small kiss on the woman's forehead before jumping back to avoid a loud, body-shaking snore. The girl watches as her mother settles back down, a watery smile playing on her lips as she sends a few silent, happy prayers to her guardian before turning back to me, the content expression fading as she faces her current reality.

"Let's go," she mouths, walking out and past me as I gently close the door behind her. A few more minutes of sneaking through the house, and we make it outside and start our journey out of Midgar.  
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<p>

**A/N: First person scenario, I know. It's my first hand at this with a fic- please let me know how I'm doing! Thank you!**

~Ari


	2. Chapter 2: Salvation

**A/N: **So, to be perfectly honest, I have a hard time believing I'm only one of TWO M-Rated TsengxAeris fics on this entire website. Is that a thing, for real? I know there's plenty of fans for the pairing out there, are there just not any fics?

Either way, I really appreciate the little bit of love I've gotten for this so far- Anonymous and Captain Arbitrary- it really does mean a lot to me! Thank you! :D  
><strong><br>Disclaimer: I do not own any part of FF VII and am not making anything off of this fic. **

**Chapter Two: Salvation**

_"Well he came to town, found the woman that I loved_  
><em>And he fucked her down- she told him where I lived.<em>  
><em>Off of 9th in the alleyway, where they say-<em>  
><em>They got the coke and the dope, until you end up broken.<em>

_'You should have let the smack get you,' he said,_  
><em>'But now you've got to deal with me instead.<em>  
><em>I'm downstairs on the Motorola,<em>  
><em>You know I've got three golden bullets- and I'm shootin' for your soul.'<em>

_Salvation..._  
><em>Salvation...<em>  
><em>Salvation...<em>  
><em>Salvation..."<em>

_-Salvation_  
><em>~Citizen Cope<br>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _

We've been on the ferry for three hours now.

It was a long trip from Sector 5 to the coast. Normally I would have just taken an airship to Mideel and been done with traveling in four hours, tops. But under the circumstances I know such a luxury isn't possible. So by foot out of Midgar and then by way of chocobo it was.

Getting out was easy. Being a man of certain...privileges, I'm one of few who actually know there are still ways out of Midgar that remain unregulated. Even better- I know where they all _are. _It wasn't difficult to leave, and the chocobo farm isn't a far walk after that. The overall trek here was smooth, with only a few monsters that I easily picked off. Aeris didn't seem particularly scared by any of them, but it was somewhat ego-boosting to be able to exhibit my shooting skills in front of her.

Anyway.

The ferry we boarded is as monitored as the streets we left on, and while I am somewhat wary of the characters that accompany us, I know she is more safe here with me than she ever would be traveling anywhere by herself.

"You don't have to be so quiet, you know."

I look over at her. The more formal part of my trained mind wonders why she has this perpetual need to converse- it isn't annoying by any means, it's just...different. The only females I ever interact with are Cissnei and Elena- the former doesn't really speak with me and the latter...well, I don't know much about her, but she seems almost shy. Being around a woman who actually speaks- about interesting things, no less- is...nice.

"What do you want to talk about?"  
>"Mideel," she doesn't miss a beat. "I've never been off the continent before, I want to know what it's like before I get there."<br>This confession is strange to me. "You've...never been off the continent?"  
>"I've never been out of <em>Midgar<em>," she hesitates, "well, not since I was an infant, anyway."

I try not to snort. I _remember_ when she was that young. That disgusted feeling begins to stir in my stomach again.

"Are you OK?" She asks, drawing me out of my nausea.  
>"Fine." Leaning calmly on the deck railing, I regain my composure. "It's a quiet village."<br>She looks confused, so I clarify. "Mideel. It's a small village. Very quiet."  
>Catching on, she raises her eyebrows and leans on the bar beside me."Quiet...I can't imagine it."<p>

"It's completely different from the slums-." I pause, realizing calling her home a slum might be insulting. "-From the lower sectors."  
>"It's OK. I know I live in a dump," she laughs, and my heart melts. I've never heard the sound this close before. It's beautiful.<p>

She sees my instinctive smile an tilts her head, seeming to know what I'm thinking.

"It's a shame we had to wait until someone was trying to kidnap me to actually speak."

I just stare at her. What am I supposed to say? She already knows I am a complete fool for her. Still, male pride ensues. "You know that wasn't possible."

It comes out a bit colder than I intend it to, but she doesn't mind, instead giving me a small smile as she looks ahead to the shore that's just come into view.

"We're here."  
>"Just minutes from the village," I tell her, moving to lead the way to the front of the boat.<p>

She reaches out suddenly, grabbing my arm. "Wait." I raise an eyebrow, but her gaze never leaves the dock. "I want to remember this moment. The first time I've ever been to another continent."

A few seconds pass, and I watch as she takes it all in. Her normally bubbly demeanor settles into a calm, quiet pondering as she finishes her mental picture taking and looks at me, snapping the last photo.

"...Okay."

I smile slightly, nodding as I continue on my path off the ferry once it finishes docking. She jogs to stay beside me, eventually linking her arm in mine for fear of getting separated. I take it all in stride, though that odd longing for her closeness is beginning to burn inside of me again.

The minutes pass slowly on the walk to Mideel. There are people all around us- some running, others walking, and yet amidst everyone else, I feel as if we're completely alone. No one here knows who we are; no one knows why we've come. It's...refreshing.

"You're always so deep in your thoughts," she comments lightly, blushing when I look down at her with a smirk.  
>"I have a lot to think about."<br>"Like what?"  
>Her question doesn't catch me off-guard, but it still takes me a moment to answer. "...Everything."<p>

...I know, vague.

She snorts. "Secretive, too? Come on now, Tseng. You can't keep me _that_ far in the dark."  
>Smiling inwardly, I put my hands in my pockets and look down, contemplating. "I don't mean to make you feel lost." Looking back to her, I see her eyes still on me. "There are just many things that are too complicated to explain in the length of this walk."<br>"Well, it's a good thing we're going to be here a few days then, right?" Releasing my arm, she runs ahead when she sees the welcome sign for Mideel. I let her go- the fear of someone snatching her far from me as I slow my pace to pull the buzzing phone from my pocket. Flipping it open, I see I have several missed calls and one new text message. I open it.

"I don't imagine that Ancient chick missing has anything to do with you, right Boss? Either way, better lay low for a bit. Ol' Prez is pretty pissed, an' I ain't ever seen Heidegger so red in the face before. You know they'll take it out on you if you come in. Take it easy. -Reno."

I snap the device shut, tucking it away. For the first time in a long time I'm thankful for my red-headed colleague. Lazy as he is, he knows who the real idiots are. Not to mention he's loyal to a fault.

Looking up, I catch sight of Aeris and pause. She's stopped walking, standing perfectly still at the top of the hill as she gazes down on the town below. Walking to her side, I look at her distressed stare and follow it to Mideel.

"What's wrong?"  
>"The Lifestream." She breathes. "...We're right on it, aren't we?"<p>

I balk, nearly kicking myself. Of _course_ this would be an issue, she _hears _the Planet.

I falter. "Aeris, I'm so sorry. We can leave-."  
>"No." She grabs my hand, shaking her head. "I...I want to stay." Glancing at me, she purses her lips. "...Please."<p>

Looking at her I see the fear and longing in her eyes, and know immediately that she needs this. She has to do this, and I'm going to bring her through it. Gripping her hand gently I turn and silently lead her down into the town.  
>~~~~~~~~<p>

It's a long afternoon, to say in the least. Unlike the early morning, Aeris doesn't speak much once we're inside of Mideel. She's polite to the townspeople, of course, but not much else leaves her beyond that. I follow her around the city like a watchdog, letting her converse quietly with the Planet as she stops to dip her feet in the hot springs. I stand by, watching over her as she sits for nearly three hours.

It's a long time, but I don't mind. I'll never mind, so long as I know she's safe.

It's nightfall by the time we get to our villa. Despite our daytime meandering, procuring a place to stay was one of the first things we did upon reaching the city, and now we're sound inside as I show her her bedroom and leave her to relax while I make something to eat.

She never speaks, even as I finish the lo mein and take it to her. I'm somewhat surprised to find she's not in her room, but quickly locate her on the balcony, where it's begun to rain. Setting her plate on the kitchen counter I step outside, startling slightly at how cold it's gotten in the last half hour. Still she sits, eyes distant and stance slack as she dangles her legs off the ledge and her arms over the metal railing as she lets the cold water drip over her bare skin.

"Aeris," I murmur, stripping off my jacket to drape over her shoulders. I crouch down next to her. "It's freezing out here. Please, come inside-."  
>"Why did you save me?" She blurts out suddenly, and I stare at her.<p>

Haven't we already been through this?

My mouth hangs for a moment, and I shake my head. "Aeris, you know-."  
>"I don't know anything." She spits, her tone remarkably more harsh than I've ever heard it. "I only <em>think <em>I know things..." Dropping her gaze, she turns toward the city lights once more, rain rolling down her face. "The Planet's knowledge is so vast; so much more than mine..."

I watch her helplessly, looking for a way through this.

"They tell me you think I'm the hope of the Planet," she whispers. "Is that why you saved me? Or is it something else?"

This. _This_ I can respond to. "...Can't it be both?"  
>She looks at me again, a spark of hope flaring in her eyes as she wets her lips. "I don't know."<p>

After a moment of silence I sense there's nothing else I can say to help her thoughts. Even still, I can't just walk away. Denying every bit of self control I have, I reach up and take her chin, turning her face toward me gently. She obeys the physical command, eyelids heavy as she watches me.

This is what I want. It's what I've always longed for- just to _be _with her. For her to look at me and know I'm here for her. Even if she never hears me say it, she knows I love her.

I lift my other hand and carefully brush the rain-matted hair out of her eyes.

"Come inside soon."

She blinks slowly in response, and I let her go and stand up, going inside but leaving the door open behind me.

The air conditioning of the villa hits my wet clothes and turns them ice-cold in seconds. Entering my room I slide the tie loose from my neck, throwing it to the side before setting to work on the buttons of my shirt. Before I can get to the bottom though, the sound of balcony door sliding shut catches my ear. I turn, tilting my head slightly when I see Aeris standing in the living room, an look of quiet determination on her face as she begins to walk toward me. I may have never seen it on her before, but I know that look. The pain and desperation in her eyes; every part of her screaming out for something different- for something to protect her.

For me.

Furrowing my eyebrows, I watch her. With every step something changes.

First, she reaches up and pulls the ribbons from her hair, letting the heavy locks fall to her shoulders in one thick, heavy motion.

Next, her shirt. Wrapping her arms around herself she strips it off gracefully, dropping it to the floor as she continues toward me.

Last, her skirt, which she unzips as she reaches my doorway. Pausing for a moment, she slips her thumbs under the waist line and tugs it a bit, loosening it just enough that it falls to her ankles. She steps out of it, now wearing nothing but a set of satin pink panties and a matching bra.

I think I've forgotten how to breathe.

As she reaches me, her eyes trail up from my feet to my face, an expression taking over that reads she likes what she sees. While I'm flattered, the fact that this is even happening is still incredibly overwhelming. Nevertheless I stay, gaze unwavering as she cautiously reaches up and slides her hands under my open shirt. Her cold fingertips hit my warm skin, and as if my body is trying to help heat her, my flesh catches fire. Any thought of gentlemanly protest is far from me now as I gently reach up and touch her arm, drawing goosebumps to the surface as she moves closer, hands traveling to my neck and then behind it to my hair, where she winds her fingers through tentatively and waits.

I know what she wants, and I am powerless to keep it from her.

Leaning down, I press my lips to hers. Slowly, carefully. She is still at first, but after a moment she leans into me, the sweet fullness of her mouth coming into mine as she parts her lips and allows me to deepen the kiss. Just as my tongue finds hers, however, she pulls away.

"Tseng." My name comes out in a breathy whisper, and I open my eyes to her closed ones.  
>"Yes?"<br>"...Tell me."  
>I pause, heart pounding in my chest. "...I love you."<p>

Green orbs appear suddenly, passion quickly filling them.

"Say it again."  
>"I love you," I repeat, leaning down and wrapping my hands under her. She reacts skillfully, rising up as I pull her to straddle my waist and drawing closer when I turn and carry her to the bed. This declaration must be enough for the time being, because she begins kissing me again. As I lay her down I realize how small she is. Her body, so slight against me, is a wonder to behold. Her porcelain skin, her chestnut hair...<p>

My hand holds her face for a moment, steadying her ravenous onslaught before sliding down her neck to her left breast. She arches into me, her aura begging for my skin to touch hers. I balance on my other hand, moving to unclasp the bra behind her. She reaches up and pulls it away, exposing herself. I return to my original position and she gasps into my mouth, nipple hardening under my thumb. We move like this for a few seconds before I can't handle it anymore, bracing myself around her so I can lower my mouth to her right breast. She gasps again, heartbeat picking up as I suck over the sensitive flesh, hardening it with my tongue. As I lavish her top with attention I begin working her panties down, and she obliges without a thought. When I finally have her completely bare I sit back, taking in her naked form with awe.

She is, and will always be, the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.

"Tseng," she whimpers, and it isn't until now that I smell her need. The intoxicating aroma draws me in, draws me down, and before I can pause to let her brace herself I've buried my mouth into her. She cries out, arching into my tongue as I quickly locate her pearl and roll over it, drawing more out of her with every motion. She bucks against me, her small hands winding into my hair and holding on for dear life as she calls for me over and over until finally, she comes.

Her cry is the most beautiful thing I've ever heard. As she starts to come down I lean up, my own desire coming full circle as she swallows hard and gasps for breath. Pushing herself upright, she forces me back and strips my shirt the rest of the way off, throwing it to the side before setting in on my pants. The belt doesn't prove too difficult, and once that's undone the pants are a cinch. Almost as quickly as if I'd done it myself she finishes stripping me down, and she doesn't waste any time setting to work on my arousal.

Lowering herself onto me, she cries out. I moan, head dropping back to the pillow as her slick walls move tightly around my length. She reaches up and grips the headboard, pushing faster as my breathing becomes labored- but I don't let her complete it. I can't, not this way. Wrapping an arm around her waist I turn her over, spreading her on her back once more as I gain my bearings and begin showing her just how much of a man I really am. She screams out, pressing her hands against the surface above her as I drive into her harder.

"Say my name, Aeris," I command, my voice deep and demanding even amid all the movement.  
>"Tseng..." She breathes.<br>"Louder!"  
>"Tseng!" She cries out, her eyes rolling back as she says it. "Tseng, oh god!"<p>

I'm not a god, by any means, but I most definitely feel like one when she comes a second, third, and fourth time. As her breath starts to catch for the fifth round she looks at me.

"Come with me."

She doesn't have to ask twice. As her walls tighten and her hips rise up I come, riding out my pleasure inside of her as she finishes moaning and settles back into the sheets. Collapsing on top of her, she wraps her arms around my shoulders and holds me as we both struggle to find our breath.

Nearly ten minutes pass in silence before I find it in me to pull out of her, sliding to her side and grabbing the spare blanket from the foot of the bed to wrap around her shivering frame. She turns and snuggles against me, her warm breath coming out on my chest as she nuzzles into my neck affectionately.

"...You mean it, don't you?"

I don't have to think to know what she's asking.

"Yes. With all my heart."

She seems to enjoy mulling over this thought for a bit, her lips curving into a gentle smile as she presses even closer to me. I hold her for a while, even after she finally falls asleep in my arms. Being careful not to wake her, I draw the blankets back beneath her and place her under them, kissing her forehead gently.

"I've always loved you, and I always will- from here, 'til the end of time."

Settling in next to her, I pull her close and fall asleep.  
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<p>

**A/N: Please review and let me know how you think it went! :)**


	3. Chapter 3: Lights

**A/N: And you thought I forgot all about this, didn't you! :) Here's the third chapter, friends. I'll be wrapping it up soon enough!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FF7 whatsoever, and am not making any money from this!**

**Chapter Three: Lights  
><strong>_**  
><strong>__"__Walking up the hill tonight, when you have closed your eyes.  
>I wish I didn't have to make all those mistakes and be wise.<br>Please try to be patient, and know that I'm still learning.  
>I'm sorry that you have to see the strength inside me burning.<em>

_But where are you my angel now?_ _Don't you see me crying?_  
><em>And I know that you can't do it all, but you can't say I'm not trying.<br>I'm on my knees in front of him, but he doesn't seem to see me.  
>With all his troubles on his mind, he's looking right through me.<em>

_And I'm letting myself down, satisfying you,  
>And I wish that you could see, that I have my troubles too..."<em>

_-The Hill  
>~Marketa Irglova<br>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

Just like I told her, Mideel is quiet.

The steam that rises from the hot springs across town is my only company as I sit on the villa balcony, hot tea in hand while I mull over the thought of returning to bed- to her.

She slept soundly through the night, for the most part. Only when I first attempted to slide away from her warmth did she make a sound- the smallest of whimpers, a plea for me to stay. And I did; for nearly an hour I laid next to her, stroking her hair and watching the gentle rise and fall of her shoulders as she rested against my chest.

It is still surreal to me; the simple fact that I'm here- that _she's _here. Nothing in the past thirteen years of watching over her could have prepared me for the sudden change that led to what happened last night. Over the course of twelve hours she transformed from a heartbroken girl to a woman trying to identify her place in life, and I was there for every moment of it.

I wonder if she'll still be that woman when she wakes?

Admittedly, this is not something I wish to consider: the possibility of resentment for letting things get...out of control. In a perfect world she would wake up and tell me she loves me too, that she wants to run away together and never have anything to do with ShinRa or the Turks ever again.

Then again, in a perfect world neither of those entities would exist and, in turn, neither would our relationship.

I wonder if this is how things were meant to be? The last remaining Cetra to end up with a Turk? An ironic, bittersweet dream it seems, and even now I see a dream is all it can ever be.

The egg timer in the kitchen goes off, and I stand to turn the potatoes in the skillet. Everything looks done now; I separate it all onto two plates then cut some fruit to place on the side. By the time I get our breakfast onto a serving tray and take it to the room she's begun to stir, eyes opening just in time for me to set the food down beside her.

"Mmmmorning..." She smiles sleepily, rubbing the back of her hand across her face as she turns to lie on her side.

"Good morning." I smile back. "How did you sleep?"

"Wonderfully." Turning a bit more, she sits up and rests against the headboard, brushing her bangs away from her eyes. She takes the plate I offer with a nod. "Thank you." A pause, and she looks at me. "How about you?"

"Best I've slept in years," I admit, realizing how it sounds but not caring. It's the truth, and she would know it whether or not I told her.

A soft laugh escapes her, then she lowers her head and closes her eyes. For a second I'm sure she's just fallen asleep over her food, but before I can reach out and touch her I see her lips moving slightly.

She's praying.

How is it that I've been watching her for so long and somehow there are still things she does that surprise me? I've seen her pray before- many times, actually- but to be beside her as she does it...it's humbling. She finishes and looks up, blushing when she sees me staring. I just smile.

"Do you feel closer to the Planet here?"

She nods, taking a bite of her food. "I can actually hear it speak here. Its voice is much clearer than at home. It's..."

She trails off, eyebrows winding down in distress. I tilt my head.

"What?"  
>Sighing, her eyes flit up to meet mine. "It's sad."<br>"Sad?"  
>"Mm." By the way her shoulders have tensed I feel there's a little more to this story, even though she goes back to eating a moment later.<br>"Aeris." I set my plate down, reaching over to touch her wrist. She freezes again, sighing softly as she dares to lift her head and look right at me.  
>"There are a lot of things I can't explain," she tries to tell me, "voices...fleeting glimpses of the future. Of my life...of you."<p>

I take her plate and set it beside mine, then slide closer to hold both her hands. They're cold, and she's begun to shake ever so slightly.

"Tell me."  
>"I...I can't."<br>"You can-."  
>"Tseng," she lets her head roll to the side, averting her gaze to the hardwood beneath us. "I don't...I don't know if I can tell you."<p>

I hesitate, curious. "Can't? Or don't want to?"  
>Again, her brow knits with anxiety and she rolls her bottom lip under. "Maybe it's more for my own sake than yours."<br>Staring at her, I find I can't help but accept this. "If it hurts you to tell me, then don't. I think I can bear not knowing."

We're quiet for a moment, then she sighs, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"I just want peace. Is that too much to ask?"  
>Hearing the tiredness in her tone, I gently rub my thumb over her knuckles. "Peace is always a good wish. Unfortunately, a wish is all it stays for most."<br>She quirks her lips. "Do you think _we'll _ever find peace?"

Our eyes meet, the silence of the morning coming to an end outside the villa when a series of bells begin to ring throughout the village. Sliding my hands from hers, I gently take her face between my palms.

"There is no peace for those like me, Aeris. But I swear I will do my best to help you find yours."

There is no reply other than a smile. That's all I need. I stand, leaning forward to kiss her forehead before taking my plate and starting for the kitchen.

"Take your time finishing breakfast. There's a festival in town today, we can go down to it when you're ready, if you like."  
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<p>

The festival was quaint, to say in the least. For a village of nearly 200 people, it did very well for itself when it came to entertainment. We walked around the town for hours, the sights and booths changing so fast it was like a new place each time we circled around. Near sunset, the more interactive stands began to appear, and Aeris's childlike demeanor came with them.

"Tseng, look! Bears!"

Not real bears, of course. Stuffed ones. I laugh, more amused by her fascination with the toys than the objects themselves. They're outrageously colored, with large, adorable eyes and silly smiles sewn to their faces. Comical.

"Bears don't really look like that, you know."

She scowls at me, hands sliding to her hips. "I know that!" Turning back to the booth, she walks up to one of the more neutral colored ones and touches its leg tentatively. "I used to have one when I was little. A man in the slums gave it to me when Elmyra took me into Wall Market and we got separated. She told me the man said it was the only thing that made me stop crying. Even after she found me, no one could take it away from me if I were outside the house."

She trails off thoughtfully, reaching her other hand up to rub the bear behind its ears lovingly.

"What happened to it?" I call her out of her trance, and she lets out a soft laugh.  
>"ShinRa, of course." Turning away from it, she drops her hands to her sides. "In one of their grand attempts to kidnap me, it got lost in the struggle and was torn apart under one of the trucks that drove by my house. Elmyra tried to fix it, but..." Shrugging, she starts to walk back toward me, looking around nonchalantly at the other attractions. "I suppose I would have outgrown it eventually anyway."<p>

Now, we both know I can't just walk away from this. Moving to the booth, I wave to the worker.

"One round, please." I pull a few gil from my pocket an place it on the wooden surface between us, glancing back at Aeris as I take the toy gun from the man and ready it as if it were my own. "Go ahead and pick the one you want."

The booth-worker laughs. "Sir, I admire your confidence, but there hasn't been a man in all the years I've worked this festival able to hit all ten targets in one rou-."

He stops when I begin firing, taking every target in sight out before he can blink twice. He remains speechless as Aeris giggles, snatching her bear of choice from the rack and turning to me with a sheepish grin on her face.

"That really wasn't fair, Tseng." She murmurs into the back of its stuffed head, sidling up to me as we walk away. I instinctively wrap my arm around her, pausing to set the man's gun back down on the counter before heading further down the street.

"Yes, well, neither was how you lost your childhood toy." Raising an eyebrow I look down at her. "Let's keep this one out of their reach this time, shall we?"

She continues to giggle as we stride to the edge of the village, where a magnificent show of fireworks has begun to go off on the other side of the field. The moment the first bright green burst catches her eye she rushes forward, a gasp of happiness escaping as she gapes up at the bright, colorful fire-lights exploding above her.

Standing back I watch her, as I have done the entire time we've been here. The increasingly familiar feeling of adoration washes over me as I keep my distance, letting her take in everything for herself. To think that she's never been able to see fireworks- to see the _sky _before- it breaks my heart.

No one like her should be kept in a cage. Ever.

After a while she turns to me, the familiar, bright look in her eyes softening as she sees my watchful gaze. Her grin fades to a gentle smile, and she holds out her hand to me. I oblige, stepping forward to take it, and we walk across the field to an area much less inhabited near the far edge, climbing onto the flat, raised rocks to sit.

Several minutes pass in silence, interrupted occasionally by the quiet inhale of awe that slips from her as she watches the show. After a few minutes it's become apparent that I'm more interested in watching her than the fireworks, but it takes a bit longer for her to notice.

When she finally _does _see me staring at her, she blushes.

"What...?" She tilts her head down, embarrassed.  
>"Nothing." I'm past the point of being shy with her. She knows everything there is to about my feelings. "Just...enjoying tonight."<p>

She gives a short laugh, still fighting a smile as she turns her eyes upward again. The lights grow brighter by the minute against the evening backdrop; she draws her knees in and wraps her arms around them.

"Why do you think we're here?"

The question blindsides me, and I raise my eyebrows. "Shouldn't I be asking _you_ that?"  
>She glances at me. "I don't know <em>everything<em>."

Quiet ensues for a moment more, and I clear my throat. "I suppose... we're here to help one another. To help the Planet."  
>I know the words are a form of hypocrisy the moment I've said them, yet her reaction is much less than harsh. "You really think so?"<br>"Mm." I nod, trying to play it off for once when her eyes find the side of my face, scanning over me for any hint of guilt or objection. She finds none.

"Sometimes I feel that way," she replies distantly. "Most of the time it just seems like a farfetched dream."  
>"Then what do you <em>normally <em>feel?"

A pause, then she shrugs. "We're just...here. The Planet is too busy trying to fix all of the problems we've caused to really have much time for individual stories. It's only hope for us is that we fill our lives with love and happiness, and return to help it heal its wounds someday."

I want to believe her, and I do, for the most part. But there's just something about the way her body tenses when she talks...

"Is that what you see for yourself?" She looks at me, and I explain. "A Cetra? Do you see yourself just...being?"

The flash of pain in her eyes says it all, and we both know she's been found out. There's more to her story than she's telling me.

"Tseng..."  
>"What is it?" As much as I want her to feel 'comfortable,' the thought of her being in danger trumps my usual will to cave to her sense of personal space. "Aeris-."<br>"It's hard to explain." Her demeanor threatens to shift, which only stings my hidden sense of fear further. Something's wrong, and she isn't telling me.  
>"Try."<p>

The fireworks are forgotten now, the lights nothing more than moments of extra illumination between us as she turns to face me on the rock; slender legs drawn up under her skirt while her hands are pressed tensely on either side of her knees.

"It's...it's too soon to tell."  
>"To tell me what?"<br>"That I..." Her breathing quickens. "I..."

Unable to bear it I slide forward, running my hands up her arms and pulling her into my chest as her voice hitches and she begins to cry.

"I have no right to a decision concerning my Fate!" She sobs, and my world begins to fall apart.  
>"That isn't true..." I try to calm her, but it doesn't help. She grips the front of my shirt between us, twisting the material in her hands as she presses her eyes into the fabric, her tears quickly soaking through.<p>

"But it is...you know it is. You wouldn't have saved me if you'd thought you were the only one with something to gain from it."

This is the verbal equivalent of a knife being shoved into my chest, and all I can manage is a small wince.

"How can you think that?"

Nature forces all blatant expression of pain from my face, but she knows what she's done. Sitting back, she shakes her head and wipes the tears from her eyes.

"Tseng..."

She looks at me, and I see it again. That glimmer of pain and determination. The one that begs me to take everything and make it better. Tilting her head back, she leans forward and gently presses her lips to mine, and while I feel the urge to give in, to melt into her the way I had the night before, I can't. I grip her shoulders and hold her back.

"It isn't true." I push her to face the truth I want her to see. "I'm not...I'm not that person, Aeris. I'm not some order-following _fool_."  
>She frowns. "I didn't mean it like that-."<br>"Then call me selfish," I block, knowing her next move. "Because I would have done it even if I were the only one who would have benefited from it." I lower my forehead to hers. "I care too much about you, Aeris. You know that now."

She watches me a minute more, then nods.

"I'm sorry."

The sound of crackling fire in the air above us is the only noise now, the rainbow array giving seconds of visibility before throwing us back into darkness. In the moments I see her, I know she's crying, but I can tell now that it's so much more than fear.

Leaning in again she kisses me, one small hand sliding up my chest to hold the nape of my neck as she pulls me in and lays us down. I follow, heart pounding in my chest as the need for her warmth comes rushing back. I want to hold her, to be one with her.

Moving to hover over her I wait as she slowly unbuttons my shirt, then slides the fabric off my shoulders. She takes off the strapless top she's wearing next, setting it calmly to the side before returning her hands to my arms. I lean down and begin kissing her again, working one hand up the length of her leg to the hem of her skirt. Pushing the fabric back, I slide my fingers gently across her flesh, drawing the heat from her core with sigh as her breath quickens under my lips. A few seconds more and I'm at her center, carefully slipping my thumb beneath the cotton to touch what waits.

"Tseng-." She breathes, tensing around my hand. Reaching down, she pulls her panties the rest of the way off, kicking them to the side as she spreads her legs. I touch her again, this time catching her moan with my mouth. I keep going, pace quickening with her whimpers until finally she goes rigid, a suppressed cry escaping with her orgasm.

She relaxes, but I know we're not done. Stripping my belt off, we both work to remove my pants and before too long I'm back over her.

"I need you," she whispers, a pleading in her eyes more sincere than I've ever seen. I obey, entering her to the hilt and pausing to let her adjust. It goes faster than it did last night; her body seems to know just how to move with mine. In no time she comes again, her subtle attempt at discretion crumbling more each time she climaxes. I don't try to silence her screams, knowing the crowd is far away and the fireworks are much too loud for anyone to hear us.

Then again, there always _is _that primal excitement in the chance of getting caught.

When I reach my peak she is more than happy to come down with me, the two of us ending the encounter in a tangled mess of panting and sweat. The heat is short lived, however, when the Southern wind begins to blow, bringing a chill with it. Sitting up we help each other dress, silently agreeing it's time to go back to the villa. When I slide down off the rock to the field and turn to help her follow, she looks at me.

"I want you to know something."  
>"Yes?"<br>"If, after this trip, for some reason the Planet decides we should never be together again, I just want you to know this has been one of the happiest times of my life."

I know I don't have to reply. Honestly I'm not certain what I would say if I felt I needed to. She simply takes my hand and jumps down beside me, continuing to hold it tight as we walk back into town.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
><strong>AN: Thanks again for reading! Please review- and don't forget to check out the fic this feeds into "The Fire," which will be updated very soon! :D  
>-Ari<strong>


	4. Chapter 4: Fighting

**A/N: ****And ****so, ****after ****a ****few ****months ****of ****drawn ****out ****drama ****and ****sex ****scenes, ****the ****little ****sub- story ****comes ****to ****an ****end! ****Thanks ****again ****to ****everyone ****who's ****been ****following ****and ****reviewing-****and ****to ****those ****who ****are ****reading ****this ****for ****the ****sake ****of ****it's ****role ****in**** "****The ****Fire,****" ****hang ****in ****there! ****This ****will ****come ****into ****play ****very ****soon. ****:)  
>Happy <strong>**Thanksgiving!**

**Chapter Four: Fighting**

_**"**__**Cold **__**is **__**the **__**water**__**, **__**i**__**t **__**freezes **__**your **__**already **__**cold **__**mind,**__**  
><strong>__**Already **__**cold, **__**cold **__**mind.**__**  
><strong>__**And **__**death **__**is **__**at **__**your **__**doorstep**__**, **__**a**__**nd **__**it **__**will **__**steal **__**your **__**innocence,**__**  
><strong>__**But **__**it **__**will **__**not **__**steal **__**your **__**substance**_

_**But **__**you **__**are **__**not **__**alone **__**in **__**this, **__**a**__**nd **__**you **__**are **__**not **__**alone **__**in **__**this.**__**  
><strong>__**As **__**brothers **__**we **__**will **__**stand **__**and **__**we'll **__**hold **__**your **__**hand,**__**  
><strong>__**Hold **__**your **__**hand...**_

_**And **__**I **__**will **__**tell **__**the **__**night,  
><strong>__**Whisper, **__**'Lose **__**your **__**sight.'  
><strong>__**But **__**I **__**can't **__**move **__**the **__**mountains **__**for **__**you.**__**"**_

-_**Timshel  
><strong>__**~Mumford **__**and **__**Sons  
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <strong>_

Morning comes early, but unlike yesterday, I know there will be no time for silence- no time to hold her in the quiet of the sunrise while she sleeps.

Breakfast consists of some biscuits I picked up from the market shortly after I woke up. I finish packing what little we have while she eats, and by the time she's done we're ready to go.

"I just don't see why we have to leave so soon," her voice is sad as we walk, the barely stirring town disappearing into the trees behind us. "It isn't like anyone is looking for us."

"My dear," I shake my head, guiding her into the loading station to catch our ferry, "someone is _always_ looking for us."

She doesn't seem to take much from this, simply sighing as the ferryman checks our tickets and lets us pass.  
>~~~~~<p>

The ride back to the Eastern Continent is uneventful at best; as we port, a light fog settles over the boat, stretching miles inland. By the time we reach the local chocobo stable and get our birds, it's become apparent what the weather plans to do.

"Is it safe to ride in the rain?" She asks me, and I take note of the general lack of fear in her tone.

"If it starts raining we'll find a place to stop." I reply, pretending not to notice the look of hurt that flashes across her face. I know what she's aiming for, that she wants to delay getting home as much as possible, but I can't risk it. As cold as it sounds, at this point the longer we stay away the more danger it puts us both in.

We ride along in silence for the first hour, and while she seems content to look at the cloudy landscape, my mind won't be quiet. I keep thinking back to the night before- what could she have meant when she said she had no right to a decision concerning her Fate? While I'm a firm believer in the plans of the Planet for all of us as individuals, I _do_believe that we have control over our walk of life to some extent. We all make our own decisions.

I look over at her, watching the way her eyes scan the empty plains; her slack stance and her light hold on the reigns. It's hard to believe such harsh thoughts live in that beautiful head of hers, but the more sensible part of me knows there's much more to her than what anyone sees.

"Are you scared?"

She turns to me, and I suddenly wish I hadn't disturbed her.

Her brow furrows. "What do you mean?"

"About going home."

"Oh," her voice drops, and she shrugs. "I'm not sure, I haven't really thought much about it." She rolls her bottom lip under, pondering on it for a second before shaking her head. "No, I don't suppose I am."

"Why not?"

She smiles slightly, as though she knew that question were coming. "Well, I'm fairly certain two days of being gone has already sent ShinRa's men into a scramble looking for me elsewhere."

I raise an eyebrow. "How do you figure that?"

"Because," she starts, her tone matter-of-fact. "I'm a person with a routine. I never leave the city- I _barely_ leave my own sector. They've been following me for years, and by now they know my patterns. _My_ guess is they've begun to assume someone else has taken me. That is," she adds with an impish smile, "if they haven't already ruled _you _out as an option."

A younger, more inexperienced version of myself might have turned red, but I manage to contain things to a slight smirk.

"Sometimes I'm not so sure _you_ haven't been studying _us_."

She laughs. "Well of course I have. Ever since Zack fell into my life I've been curious to know more about ShinRa and SOLDIER and the Turks..." Her sentence trails off and she fades into a quiet that I can only assume was brought on by her own mention of the late warrior. Wetting her lips she lowers her head, then looks back over the fields. I feel my heart ache, but say nothing, letting the uneasiness of the moment slip far behind us as we continue to ride well into the afternoon.  
>~~~~~<p>

Just as night begins to fall, Midgar appears on the horizon. From a distance it looks unnatural; a stark, metal alien form against the Planet's natural landscape. The sky is still cloudy, which only adds to the grayness of the scene- not to mention the gloominess of the situation.

"It looks so small from here," her voice cuts the silence for the first time in hours. "So...out of place."

"It is very much 'out of place.'" I agree, looking around for the chocobo stable I know should be coming into view soon. "A metal kingdom built out of greed for mako and power."

"It isn't a kingdom for everyone." She replies softly, and I glance at her. Her face reads every bit of someone about to walk back into a prison after having escaped for a while.

We ride the rest of the way to the stables, where the owner recognizes us from a few days ago and gives us keys to the barn with little more than a "Welcome home." We take our chocobos back, somewhat expecting to run into other riders, or even a stable hand, but finding no one as we put our birds in their respective stalls and begin taking their tack off.

"I don't want to take you back, you know." I say to her from across the hall, peeking through the stall bars at her. "I would keep you with me, if I could."

"I know." She doesn't look at me, instead moving to hang the saddle over the door and then pulling a brush from the wall to groom the animal. "But we both know that isn't really possible _or_smart. Besides, my mother is probably beside herself worrying about me."

"She will be glad to see you."

She smiles absently, and I feel a small twinge of happiness. I finish brushing my chocobo, then gather the saddle and bridle to take to the tack room. She's close behind, but I'm through putting mine away by the time she reaches the door, her blanket nearly touching the floor as she struggles to hold everything in her small arms. I move to take them from her, shelving the blanket and hanging the rest of it on the wall.

"Does it bother you? Knowing you'll have to leave me alone for a while after this?"  
>"You won't be alone," I remind her. "And believe me, I'll be keeping tabs on you, from a respectful distance."<p>

She gives a short laugh, and I turn to face her. Her demeanor is different now, and I feel it's alright to approach her. Gently I reach up to brush her bangs out of her face, and she turns her cheek into my hand, sighing.

"I always used to wish I could just disappear. Now that I have, I'm thankful I had the option to come back."  
>"It's more of an obligation than an option."<br>"I suppose."

We look at one another for a moment, before she turns and leads the way back to the barn hallway. The sound of rain beginning to pick up on the tin roof rings overhead.

She stops walking and I pause behind her, the two of us looking out the open double doors to the rolling fields we just came from. A few seconds later she turns to the other side, where the stormy view of Midgar looks more miserable than ever in the lightning-filled cloud cover.

"You're really making me go back, aren't you? Back into the same cage you pulled me from. And then you'll just go home."  
>"At least <em>you<em> have someone waiting for you."

She turns to me, eyes wide. "What a terrible thing to say, Tseng." She shakes her head. "Then again, I guess we both _are_in our own form of a cage. Yours is just more of the...suit-and-gun variety."

Silence. I know she isn't trying to say anything hurtful, but I can tell by the look on her face that she's angry.

"What do you want me to say?"  
>"That you'll take me with you."<br>"You know I can't do that."  
>"Then what's the point?" Ah, there was the break in control. "Why even take me away in the first place? You know they're just going to come back! If not today, then tomorrow."<br>"They won't be there today, or tomorrow."  
>"If not tomorrow, then next week, or next month-."<br>"Aeris-."  
>"There's no <em>point<em>, Tseng! I'm trapped, don't you see? They've been tracking me my entire life, why would they stop now-."

_"That __isn't __why __I __took __you!"_I shout.

...I shout.

It's been months, _years_, since I've done that, but I know it needed to happen. She stares at me, not one ounce of surprise or fear on her face. I breathe heavily, but before I can gather my thoughts she turns and runs out of the barn, into the rain and toward the city that sits miles away.

I follow after her.

"Aeris! Aeris wait!" Catching up, I try to grab her wrist. "Aeris-."  
>"What is it then?" She spins on me, eyes turning red with tears that are invisible in the water that quickly soaks us both.<br>"What-?"  
>"Why did you take me? If not for ShinRa, if not for you, then why? For who?"<p>

I groan, daring to let my proper stance down long enough to lean forward onto my knees.

"You misunderstood me."

"Then explain." She crosses her arms. "Because it sounded a lot like you said-."  
>"I <em>know <em>what it sounded like, but you have to listen to me." Standing upright, I regain control of my frustration and look at her, seeing no objection. "I took you because of Hojo, remember? He was the one in charge of the operation in the first place, because he went straight to the President."

It's apparent she _does _remember this, I can tell because she has a very impatient eyebrow cocked.

"If I had let you stick it out and try to escape like you normally do, he would have burned your sector to the ground." I went on, voice weary. "Hojo isn't _normal_, Aeris. You know that by now. I took you to avoid _him_, because if he'd gotten his hands on you, you'd never come out of it alive, or in one piece, even. At least _this_ way you'll live to fight another day."

We look at each other for a while, the cold front of the Eastern plain beginning to blow through the storm and turning out shivering breaths to steam. A bit longer, and I run an uneasy hand over my face.

"I would have never done this if I hadn't feared for your life."

She purses her lips, gaze softening. "I know." With a shudder, she turns back to the city, rubbing her arms. "I'm just...I'm tired. I'm tired of running. Tired of fighting. Tired of hiding... And something inside me keeps saying it will only get worse."

I want to protest, but that same something that tells her it's only going to get worse suddenly tells me she's absolutely right. It's an aura, a _whisper_, sweeping over and around us like the wind through the rain. I feel calm, and- despite the cold- warm.

It's the Planet.

I feel her hand slip into mine, and instantly I know she senses it too.

"We have to leave soon," she whispers.

Looking down at her, the reality of the situation begins to weigh in. Fate, distance, even the surrealism of mortality rears it's ugly head as we stand in the storm, Midgar suddenly seeming minutes away as we hold hands and quietly pray for time to stand still.

"The sun will be setting soon," I offer. "It will be best to go into the city when it's dark."

She nods in agreement, pulling her hand from mine. "We should get ready to go."

We walk back to the barn, and though it is quiet, the air between us is everything but.

She slows her pace, contemplating something, and I don't miss a beat. Grabbing her shoulder I turn her to face me, rushing in and circling my other arm around her waist. She gives no resistance, wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling herself closer as I lift her off the ground and begin kissing her feverishly.

It's different this time. There's an entire shift in the universe as I carry her into the barn, back into the tack room. It feels as though the Lifestream itself is suddenly pouring through her and into me, telling me all the secrets she was too scared to voice. In one instant I see it all- the war, the fall of ShinRa and the rise of his son, the man with the machine-gun arm and his team from the slums, the boy with the buster-sword that oddly resembles Zack, and a Masamune-...

And just like that, it's gone. Every image just as quickly as it came. It's just as well, because while I am retroactively filled with a sense of purpose, I can't force away the sorrow that wrenches through my chest. I didn't see _everything_, but I know what's going to happen.

"We weren't supposed to be here, you know." Her shaky voice cuts through my thoughts, and I realize I have her pressed again the closed door, her legs wrapped around me. She doesn't seem to mind. "We weren't supposed to leave Midgar- to be _here_, the way we are. It's causing a shift."  
>"I don't understand."<br>"There's a lot the Planet won't tell me," she goes on. "But this...this I've felt since the night you took me. It was an open door, but it wasn't put here by the Planet."  
>"Then who made it?"<br>"I don't know...but because they did, things will be different. I can't see how yet."

The pain in my heart grows. This can't be how things end.

"Aeris," I let my weight pin her up and hold her face in my hands, chasing the look of terror from her eyes. "I swear to you, I will do everything I can to keep you safe. Come Holy or Meteor, I will guard you, even if it costs me my life."

She takes this in, before letting me know former mood is far from forgotten. Leaning forward, she begins to kiss me again, and I move my hands to her backside and pull us away from the door. We nearly crash into a saddle rack, and I spin around to sit in an old armchair while she maneuvers in my lap to pull her panties off. Tossing them aside, we then work my pants down just enough for her to reach my length, which she carefully guides herself onto.

Caution ends there.

"Tseng!" She breathes, and I barely resist gasping as she moves on top of me, her slick heat torture as she pushes herself to move faster. I bury my face into her chest, running my hands up her ribcage to pull off her top and expose her breasts. Taking one in my mouth, I tease her nipple gently while sliding my other hand to her pearl between us.

She moans, arching into me. A few more seconds of coaxing and I feel her walls tighten with the first orgasm. At this point I can tell she's getting tired so I intervene, picking her up and moving a few steps to the pile of blankets nearby. I go to lay her back, but she twists at the last second, swinging her leg and turning her back to me. I don't hesitate, taking full advantage of the new position and holding on to her beautiful waist as I begin driving into her once more.

She cries out, leaning back into me, begging me to go faster. After she comes a second time, I know I don't have much longer, but this isn't how I want it to end. Pulling her back, I turn her around, setting her onto the table and looking her in the eyes.

"Tell me you want me."  
>"I want you," she whispers, leaning forward to run her fingers into my hair. "Please, Tseng."<p>

Pulling her hips to the edge I enter her once more, holding her steady as she lays down. I lean over her, bracing myself with one hand while teasing her with the other. She writhes, begging me in breathless pleas, pushing against me. After a minute, my need grows to be too much, and I know I can't slow down. She comes again, then once more, digging her fingernails into my shoulders as I finish with a groan and slow my pace, letting us both come down gradually.

We lay in silence for some time, holding one another in the calm of the storm, reveling in our moment of 'time standing still.'

These times I will always remember. Long after we find it in ourselves to pull away, get dressed; long after I've taken her home to the safety of her Sector, to her mother's arms... When the touch of her skin, the smell of her hair, when the sound of the rain slowly fading into stars just bright enough to light our walk home is distant in my memory, I will never forget the sound of her voice, the look in her eyes as we laid there in the stable, not a witness to be had when she leaned against my chest and softly murmured, "You hold a piece of my heart."

She does not love me- not the way she loved _him_, I know. Not even the way I've seen she will love the new SOLDIER that will come into her life. But this fact, this 'piece of her heart' that she has given me, I will keep it forever. I will cherish it, and continue to watch over her, just as I promised.

The night is as calm as when we left, when we finally reach the sector. Just as predicted, not a SOLDIER is in sight when we reach her home- the only sign of life being the flickering candle hanging in the lantern just outside. Pausing only to kiss me goodbye, she then runs inside, and I wait just long enough to hear the excited voice of her mother before I turn and make my way home.

It will be six months before I see her again, and our lives will never be the same.  
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~<p> 


End file.
